This emotionally charged, and critically acclaimed, chamber opera by one of America’s leading operatic composers, Jake Heggie makes its Milwaukee premiere in the new Wilson theatre in the Marcus Centers Vogel Hall in downtown Milwaukee.

Driven by Broadway-style Cabaret, the opera explores the emotional shrapnel, secrets and hard truths that take place over three decades in the lives of a Broadway diva and her adult son and daughter.

At the center is Madeline (Mezzo-soprano Lucy Schaufer in her Florentine debut), a widowed and aging Broadway diva who has long ignored her children, as she pursues her own career. Her daughter Bea (Soprano Rena Harms – Turandot 2011, Carmen 2012) nurses a failed marriage as well as the bottle, and her son Charlie (Baritone Keith Phares – title role in the two-time Grammy® Award-winner Elmer Gantry 2010), is slowly losing his partner Burt, to AIDS.

Against this dramatic tension, Heggie has written deeply-felt and accessible music to flesh out the characters’ tangled emotions and relationships. The score, rooted in Broadway-style cabaret, reminds one how achingly expressive simple songs can be. The poignant libretto, laced with humor, by Gene Scheer is based on a story by four-time Tony Award-winner Terrence McNally (Masterclass, Doubt, Kiss of the Spiderwoman) for an AIDS benefit in 1999 at Carnegie Hall. Three Decembers will be directed by William Florescu and conducted by Joseph Rescigno in the Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall at Milwaukee’s Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, accompanied by members of the Wisconsin Philharmonic. This new production is designed by noted scenic designer Vince Mountain, with lighting design by the Florentine’s Noele Stollmack, and costume design by Leslie Vaglica.

Co-commissioned in 2008 by the Houston Grand Opera and the San Francisco Opera, Three Decembers premiered under the title Last Acts. It has played to enthusiastic audiences across the country, most recently in productions by the Atlanta Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Des Moines Metro Opera, Washington D.C.’s Urban Arias, and most recently, Kentucky Opera, starring Denyce Graves, and directed by the Florentine’s William Florescu.

Hear more about the intriguing American opera Three Decembers at Florentine Off Stage: A Meet The Artists Event, at Black Sheep in Walker’s Point on Sunday, March 6th at 6:00pm. Meet the stars and hear musical selections. RSVP by February 29th, call (414) 291-5700 ext. 224 for tickets or register online!

Come to the Friday March 18 performance and $20 per ticket* will go to ARCW’s Pathway To Wellness program (be sure to select the ARCW seating option when you purchase online, or request the ARCW seating option when you call-in to 1800 32 OPERA).

Join us after the performance for a talk back and reception with the artists of Three Decembers, and leadership from ARCW.